In yet another instance of suppression of voices by authorities, the Delhi School of Economics (DSE) has postponed an event on the campus allegedly due to absence of space.
The event, titled ‘DU Conversations Celebrate 70 Years of Indian Democracy’, was scheduled to be held on Thursday.
It was being organised by ‘DU Conversations’, a group comprising students and teachers from different departments of Delhi University.
However, on Wednesday, DSE director Pami Dua issued a notice saying that the event had to be “postponed due to absence of space on the campus”.
‘Permission obtained’
The organisers alleged the event was “cancelled” even though they had obtained prior permission for it.
They said the event was aimed at promoting pluralism and dialogue within the university.
“This event was purely on the 70 years of Indian Independence. It was not a topic that one could have raised objections to. The university is no longer an open space for discussion. The university wants to control what is being discussed,” said Andrew DeSouza, a student of DSE.
‘Security concerns’
Further, efforts of the students to approach the proctor of the university, hoping for an alternative venue, were squashed by the DU Chief Security Officer (CSO).
“The CSO said a student’s party was holding its ‘Shakti Pradarshan’ on South Campus and no security could be spared in case of any attack on the DSE event,” a statement issued by DU Conversations read.
“As students and faculty of a premier university like Delhi University, we are shocked at the absence of space to hold peaceful extra-curricular events,” the statement added.
Refuting rumours that students were invited to speak on the Ramjas issue at the event, organiser Rajat Sonkar said, “We did not invite anybody to speak on the Ramjas issue and, unlike some reports doing the rounds, we do not have any political affiliations.”
‘Baseless allegations’
The students further said that they were persistently questioned by the police and charged with “baseless allegations”.
“Baseless allegations, particularly concerning Umar Khalid and Jawaharlal Nehru University, were levelled to cancel the event. The threat of physical violence was also suggested. These are all mechanisms to ensure that both students and teachers know that they are not free to speak about what they wish to,” added Mr. DeSouza.